1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to the field of computers, and more particularly to the use of computers to manage service processes. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to service simulations that incorporate the use of a Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) feedback mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
As manufacturers attempt to optimize their operational efficiency, many evaluate their manufacturing process by using a Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) feedback mechanism. DBR is a component of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), which was created by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. A key feature of DBR is to identify a constraint (i.e., equipment whose operation causes a bottleneck in the manufacturing process). The constraint operates at a specified rate (“Drum”). DBR is used to ensure that the constraint always has adequate material (“Buffer”) on which to work. The Buffer is kept properly filled through the use of management feedbacks known as “Ropes.”
For example, assume that a grinder is the constraint whose operating rate (“Drum”) sets the pace at which an entire assembly line operates. All work that is performed before the grinding operation is considered to be the “Buffer,” and includes raw materials in the warehouse, products that have been pre-processed (e.g., punched, shaped, rolled, etc.), as required, before being sent to the grinder. To ensure that the steps taken before the grinding operation are adequate to keep the grinder supplied with pre-processed material, an information system (“Rope”), which may be computer based, controls such “pre-grinder” operations.
While DBR works well in a manufacturing environment, utilizing DBR concepts in a service enterprise environment have previously been utilized in a limited fashion. Specifically, DBR concepts applied to services have been limited to environments in which service capacity is assumed to be fixed. What has not been accomplished in the prior art is the utilization of DBR concepts in which capacity is elastic, and then managing demands on the service resources based on such elastic capacity.